A travel blog by Brittany Shanahan

Former AFL player opens Greensborough cafe

Former Hawthorn and Carlton footballer Daniel Harford — along with his sister Seona Breen and brother-in-law Damien — are the masterminds behind the contemporary cafe, Mabel Jones.

The eatery, which opened four months ago on Grimshaw St, offers vegetarian delights such as tempura corn with grilled polenta and puffed buckwheat, along with traditional favourites, such as a grass-fed angus beef burger and baked beans.

Dozens can be seated inside the newly renovated space with hopes to add a function room element, pending a liquor license approval from Banyule Council.

The quirky cafe name stemmed from an amalgamation of their grandparents’ names.

“My grandmother was Mabel and my brother-in-law’s is Joan so we put them together … but it didn’t quite work, Mabel Jones did, and Joan was okay with that,” Harford said.

Harford, former co-host on SEN 1116’s The Run Home, said he was happy to give Essendon captain and Brownlow medallist Jobe Watson a crack in his new cafe after his New York barista stint, whipping up flat whites.

“We’re happy to put him on a part-time probationary period, Jobe, and make sure his barista skills are up to speed,” he said.

“But he looks like he needs a bit of a feed after his holiday, so we might need to get him one of the burgers.”

The cafe is at 67 Grimshaw St, Greensborough. It’s open Monday to Friday between 7.30am and 4.30pm and Saturday and Sunday between 8am and 4pm. Its phone number is 9434 5298.